An approach to the design of a scale for measuring happiness at work of Iberian companies

Abstract

By reviewing bibliography on happiness at work, we may say that from a management perspective, this subject is yet poorly explained. So, main reason to conduct this research was he few number of references on organizational happiness in the field of Business and Economics, despite it increasing importance. More specifically, the non-existence of scales to measure happiness at work in Iberia. In this article we aim to propose an exploratory scale to measure happiness at work in Portuguese and Spanish organizations. To do that, we look for primary data collection by using a questionnaire with open questions. The research is qualitative and was conducted applying complementary phases: (1) data collection, (2) storage, (3) coding, (4) indexing system refinement, (5) relational code and (6) identify categories (key concepts). In phases 3, 4, 5, and 6 a content analysis was applied. To analyze the scale robustness in two cultures we have applied Hofstede's model. This model confirms that cultural and social values of Portuguese and Spanish individuals are very similar, allowing homogenizing the scale without significant bias. The scale proposed is based on: (1) total happiness at work, (2) happiness in the organization, and (3) happiness in the function. At the end, happiness at work was measured by 20 items. We consider this research as a significant first step to develop a consistent tool to measure happiness at work.